July 31st

Musical birthdays today include jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell (83), singer-songwriter Lobo [né Roland LaVoie](71), Gary Lewis (69), former Bauhaus lead guitarist Daniel Ash (57), ex-R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry (56), Stanley Jordan (55), UFX frontman Duncan Lewis Jowitt (54), The Corrs multi-instrumentalist Jim Corr (50), guitarist & Rob Zombie sideman John 5 [né John Lowery](43), Leona Naess (40), Coldplay drummer Will Champion (36), Avenged Sevenfold lead singer M Shadows [né Matthew Sanders](33), Dropkick Murphys banjoist & singer Jeff DaRosa (32), and blues-rock guitarist Shannon Curfman (29). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for drummer & bandleader Roy Milton, born on this day in 1907... for jazz pianist & arranger Hank Jones, born in 1918... for Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, born in 1923... for Franz Liszt, who died on this date in 1886... for country singer Jim Reeves, who died in a private plane crash today in 1964 at the age of 40... for jazz pianist Bud Powell, who passed away in 1966... for jazz pianist Teddy Wilson, who died in 1986... and for No Use for a Name frontman Tony Sly, who left us two years ago today. 

Also on July 31st: Adolph Sax completes his first sale of his new invention, the saxophone, to the French army for use in its bands (1845)... Elvis plays three shows [two matinee and one evening] at the Hesterly Armory in Tampa, FL. A full scale riot breaks out at the end of the evening performance when the singer announces "Girls, I'll see you backstage!" Fans storm the stage and chase Elvis to his dressing room (1955)... Ringo Starr makes his debut at the Cavern Club, playing drums with The Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group. John Lennon and his band The Quarrymen will play the Mathew St. venue for the first time one week from now [minus Paul McCartney at this point, who will not join John onstage at the Cavern until January, 1958] (1957)... Cliff Richard has the first of his 14 UK № 1s with 'Living Doll' (1959)... The first Beatles record burning to protest John's 'bigger than Jesus' remark takes place in Birmingham, AL (1966)... Having moved from Abbey Road to Trident Studios to take advantage of the new 8-track recording equipment at the latter facility, The Beatles continue to work on 'Hey Jude' (1968)... The Maysles Brothers' Rolling Stones documentary 'Gimme Shelter' has its UK premiere at London's Rialto Cinema... James Taylor hits № 1 in the US with his cover of Carole King's 'You've Got a Friend' (1971)... During an Eagles concert in Long Beach, CA, tempers boil over between Glen Frey and Don Felder, who spend most of the show glaring at each other and describing the beating each plans to administer to the other backstage after the show. "Only three more songs until I kick your ass, pal", Frey is heard to say to Felder at one point ~ the intervention of Don Henley and several roadies keeps any serious fisticuffs from breaking out. The group's next album will be mixed by the two musicians on opposite coasts, after they decide that they can no longer bear to be in the same state, let alone in the same studio (1980)... The Eurythmics' 'There Must be an Angel (Playing with My Heart' goes to the top of the charts in the UK. The song, the group's only British № 1, features a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder (1985)... Michael Jackson makes an unscheduled appearance on the balcony of his London hotel room after a man threatens to jump to his death from a block of flats across the street if he doesn't see the singer, who is in the UK for a series of concerts. Jackson spends a minute waving to 28-year-old Eric Herminie, who then climbs back into the building on his own (1992)... The son of Bryan Ferry is arrested by armed police outside Tony Blair's County Durham home as he tries to make a political statement. Otis Ferry went through security gates and was taken into custody when he refused to give his name. He was trying to place posters supporting animal hunts on the walls of the Prime Minister's residence (2002)... Simon & Garfunkel wrap up the European leg of their reunion tour with a free show at the Coliseum in Rome that attracts an estimated 600,000 fans (2004)... Appearing at Helsinki's Olympiastadionin, Bruce Springsteen plays his longest show to date, clocking in at 4 hours and 6 minutes (2012).  

July 30th

Musical birthdays today include Buddy Guy (78), Paul Anka (73), saxophonist David Sanborn (69), bluesman Otis Taylor (66), folk & jazz guitarist Richard 'Duck' Baker (65), former The Damned drummer Rat Scabies [né Chris Millar](59), Kate Bush (56), bluegrass banjoist Ron Block (50), former Smiths guitarist Craig Gannon (48), Manic Street Preachers drummer Sean Moore (46), merengue singer Elvis Crespo (43), and ex-Lostprophets lead singer Ian Watkins (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for conductor George Szell, who died on this date in 1970... and for Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, who left us today in 2003. 

Also on July 30th: In Paris, 'La Marseillaise' is sung publicly for the first time (1792)... Slim Whitman appears at the Hillbilly Hoedown at the Overton Park band shell in Memphis, TN with a young Elvis Presley as his opening act. Elvis is so nervous as he plays that he stands up on the balls of his feet and shakes one leg in time to the music. When he comes offstage, he asks what all the yelling in the audience was about. Someone tells him that the shaking of his baggy pleated trouser leg created a wild gyrating effect that sent the crowd into a frenzy (1954)... The Beatles have the № 1 album in America with Yesterday... and Today. The Troggs top the singles chart with 'Wild Thing' (1966)... The Beatles close their Apple Boutique after seven months, instructing the sales staff to give all merchandise away to customers and passersby... Buffalo Springfield release their final album, Last Time around (1968)... Miles Davis' fusion period officially begins as Columbia Records release In a Silent Way (1969)...  John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas calls a press conference to accuse his old label ABC-Dunhill of "...the systematic, cold-blooded theft of perhaps up to $60 million from each and every artist who ever recorded for the company during a 7-year period" (1973)... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band play the Troubador in Los Angeles, with former Byrd in chief Roger McGuinn as their opening act (1974)... George Jones has his ninth and final № 1 on the Billboard Country chart with the Merle Haggard song 'I Always Get Lucky with You' (1983)... Variety Magazine reports that RCA has dropped John Denver from its artist roster after the release of his single 'What Are we Making Weapons for?' The publication says that the song upset the record company's new owner, General Electric, one of the largest defense contractors in the US (1986)... At the funeral of Motown star Mary Wells, Smokey Robinson sings a medley of her hits (1992)... Glasgow's annual two-day 'T in the Park' festival opens, with Rage against the Machine, Björk, Blur, Manic Street Preachers, Del Amitri, Primal Scream, Crowded House, Oasis and Aimee Mann all on the bill (1994)... The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake, The Flaming Lips, Sass Jordan and The Isley Brothers play a benefit concert in Toronto to prove that the city is safe from SARS. With some 450,000 spectators attending, it is the largest show of its kind in Canadian history (2003)... Two members of the South Korean punk rock group Couch scandalize their nation when they expose their genitals on a children's TV show. Both men are immediately arrested (2005)... Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean go to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Hips Don't Lie'. A remake of Jean's 2004 hit 'Dance like This', the song goes on to top the charts in 50 countries and become the biggest selling song of the 21st century thus far by a female artist (2006).  

July 29th

Musical birthdays today include film score composer Mikis Theodorakis (89), REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty (68), Geddy Lee (61), Patti Scialfa (61), operatic soprano Alessandra Marc (57), former Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes (55), Corrosion of Conformity lead guitarist Woody Weatherman (49), country singer Martina McBride (48), Boyz II Men vocalist Wanya Morris (41), producer Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins (37), and All Pigs Must Die drummer Ben Koller (34).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for trumpeter & bandleader Don Redman, born on this day in 1900... for jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, born in 1916... for composer Robert Schumann, who died on this date in 1856... for 'Mama'
Cass Elliot, who died today in 1974... for bandleader Les Elgart, who passed away in 1995... and for Pennywise bassist Jason Thirsk, who took his own life today in 1996 at the age of 28. 

Also on July 29: Carl Perkins enters the UK charts for the first time with his debut single 'Blue Suede Shoes' (1956)... Elvis is at No.1 on the UK singles chart for the 14th time with '(You're the) Devil in Disguise'. When the song was first played for a British audience on the BBC show 'Juke Box Jury', celebrity guest John Lennon voted the song 'a miss', offering the opinion that Elvis "is more like Bing Crosby now"... With the US charts full of hot rod songs, Capitol Records send disc jockeys a list of car terms and phrases to help promote The Beach Boys' new single 'Little Deuce Coupe' (1963)... The Beatles second feature film 'Help!' has its world premiere at the Pavilion Cinema in London's West End (1965)... Cream make their live debut at the Twisted Wheel in Manchester... Bob Dylan is riding his Triumph 55 motorcycle near his home in Woodstock, NY when the rear wheel locks up. Dylan loses control and is thrown over the handlebars, fracturing two vertebrae in his neck. His recuperation leads to the cancellation of the remaining dates on his current world tour and a period of reclusion... The American teen magazine Datebook publishes Maureen Cleave's February interview with John Lennon in which he says that The Beatles are "bigger than Jesus now." Christians in the US react with outrage, organising bonfires of the band's records in many places (1966)... The Doors hit No. 1 on the US singles chart with 'Light My Fire.' At this point, most US pop radio stations are still playing an edited version of the song with much of Ray Manzarek's organ soloing excised (1967)... Gram Parsons leaves The Byrds on the eve of the band's departure on a South African tour, saying that he refuses to play for segregated audiences... The Beatles have their first session for the recording of 'Hey Jude' (1968)... The Rolling Stones' contract with Decca Records expires (1970)... Singer and political provocateur Screaming Lord Sutch is arrested for jumping off a London bus together with four nude women as the double-decker passes 10 Downing Street (1972)... Led Zeppelin play the last of three nights at Madison Square Garden, the closing shows of a 33-date North American tour. After the concert, the receipt from the previous two nights ~ just over $200,000 ~ are found missing, stolen from the safe at the Drake Hotel where the group have been staying. Tour manager Richard Cole, who discovered the theft, is arrested as a suspect and questioned, but is later released (1973)... The soundtrack to 'Grease' goes to No.1 on the US album chart (1978)... On the day of the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, a number of songs related to the event are released, among them 'Lady D' by Typically Tropical, 'Charlie's Angles' by Mini & the Metros, and Mike Berry's 'Diana' ~ none will reach the charts (1981)... Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream introduce 'Cherry Garcia' flavour (1987)... The chairman of Britain's Professional Association of Teachers warns that children are being put under pressure to grow up too fast by pop stars who have a sexy image. "Kylie Minogue might be a great singer, but in many of her videos you can see more of her bottom than you can hear of her voice" (2003)... Heart problems force Kiss singer and guitarist Paul Stanley to abandon a show in Fresno, CA. Paramedics stop and restart his heart to return it to a regular rhythm after his pulse rate spontaneously jumped to 190 beats per minute (2007).  

July 28th

Musical birthdays today include singer-songwriter Jonatahn Edwards (68), Devo bassist Gerald Casale (66), former Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke (65), Steve Morse (60), Rachel Sweet (52), trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis (49), rapper Afroman [né Gerald Foreman](40), Papa Roach lead singer Jacoby Shaddix (38), Anberlin lead singer Stephen Christian (34), former Rocket to the Moon frontman Nick Santino (26), and rapper Soulja Boy [né DeAndre Way](24). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for piano manufacturer Ignaz Bösendorfer, born on this day in 1796... for Rudy Vallée, born in 1901... for Pink Floyd keyboardist Rick Wright, and for Mike Bloomfield, both of whom would have been 71 today... for original Tyrannosaurus Rex drummer Steve Peregrin Took, who would have been 65... for Antonio Vivaldi, who died on this date in 1741... for Johann Sebastian Bach, who died in 1750... and for songwriter George Kleinsinger [best remembered for 'Tubby the Tuba'], who left us today in 1982. 

Also on July 28th: Hector Berlioz's 'Symphonie funèbre et triomphale' premieres at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, with the composer himself conducting the orchestra using a sword rather than a baton (1840)... The first published interview with 19-year-old Elvis Presley appears in the Memphis Press-Scimitar (60)... Gene Vincent makes his debut US television appearance on The Perry Como Show (1956)... On their second visit to to Sweden, The Beatles play two shows at the Johanneshovs Isstadion in Stockholm. During the first performance, both John and Paul receive mild shocks from ungrounded microphones (1964)... The Who make their debut appearance on the UK pop music programme 'Ready Steady Go!' The group's management have packed the audience with mods, ensuring a rapturous reception as the band rip through 'I Can't Explain' (1965)... Police in Moscow report that thousands of public phone booths have been vandalised by thieves stealing parts of the receivers in order to convert their acoustic guitars to electric. A recent feature in a Russian youth magazine showed details on how to make the change (1969)... The Watkins Glen outdoor summer jam is held outside of Watkins Glen, NY with The Allman Brothers, The Band and The Grateful Dead as headliners. Over 600,000 spectators attend, making it the single largest public gathering in US history according to some historians. 150,000 tickets were sold for $10 ~ for all others present, the concert is free, though a large part of the audience are unable to see the stage (1973)... Bob Dylan goes into Columbia Studio A in NYC to begin the sessions for the album that will become Desire. He is joined by Eric Clapton on dobro on 'Romance in Durango', and by Emmylou Harris on pedal steel on 'Abandoned Love' (1975).... 'I Don't Like Mondays' gives The Boomtown Rats their second UK № 1 single. Bob Geldof wrote the song after reading a report of the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Spencer, who opened fire on children playing on a school playground across the street from her home in San Diego, killing two adults and wounding eight children and a police officer. Spencer showed no remorse for the crime afterwards, explaining her actions by saying "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day" (1980)... R.E.M. release the album Life's Rich Pageant (1985)... Rapper Ice-T announces that Warner Brothers records will pull the controversial song 'Cop Killer' from all future copies of his Body Count album. The song has been the target of protest by members of law enforcement who say that it encourages attacks on police. Ironically, Ice-T will later join the cast of the NBC drama 'Law & Order: SVU' (1992)... The wine that Sir Cliff Richard makes on his Algarve estate starts a UK supermarket battle. Fans have been asking when the wine will go on sale at stores of the Tesco chain, who have said that they would be the first to stock it, but Waitrose shops have been selling the £8.40 a bottle red for the past week (2003). 

July 27th

Musical birthdays today include chanteuse Isabelle Aubret (83), Bobbie Gentry (70), Runrig bassist Rory MacDonald (65), Maureen McGovern (65), former Blue Öyster Cult drummer Bobby Rondinelli (59), Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds keyboardist Conway Savage (54), ex-Pantera bassist Rex Brown (50), Juliana Hatfield (47), Deftones drummer Abe Cunningham (41), Pete Yorn (40), ex-Taking Back Sunday led guitarist Fred Mascherino (39), and country singer Cheyenne Kimball (24).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical pianist & conductor Ernő Dohnányi, born on this day in 1877... for sxophonist & Duke Ellington sideman Elmer 'Skippy' Williams, born in 1916... for Moonglows vocalist, producer & record company executive Harvey Fuqua, who would have been 85 today... for Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller, who would have been 52... for Bobby 'Rockin' Robin' Day, who died on this date in 1990... for trumpeter & Count Basie sideman Harry Edison, who passed away in 1999... for Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson, who left us in 2001. 

Also on July 27th: Chuck Berry's debut single 'Maybellene' enters the Billboard charts for the first time; it will soon rise to № 1 on the R&B listings and remain there for 11 weeks, while on the Hot 100 it peaks at № 5... According to an editorial in today's Billboard, only two American singers currently have any kind of enduring popularity ~ Nat 'King' Cole and Webb Pierce. The latter is on his way to having a remarkable 37 consecutive top 10 hits on the country chart (1955)... A study commissioned by Esso Oil finds that drivers speed more and therefore consume more gas when listening to the new fad of rock and roll music (1958)... A riot breaks out in Chicago's Grant Park when Sly and the Family Stone fail to show for a scheduled concert (1968)... Led Zeppelin and the Doors are both on the bill today at the Seattle Pop Festival, but Robert Plant is considerably less than impressed with Jim Morrison. Plant later recalls "He hung on the side of the stage and nearly toppled into the audience and did all those things that I suppose were originally sexual, but as he got fatter and dirtier and more screwed up, they became more bizarre... So it was really sickening to watch" (1969)... Bruce Springsteen sues his former manager Mike Appel for fraud and breach of contract. Appel files a countersuit, and obtains an injunction barring the Boss from going into a recording studio, effectively halting work on the follow-up to Born to Run... John Lennon wins his four-year battle to stay in the US as a special INS hearing grants him a green card [#A-17-597-321] (1976)... An Indian art store in Scottsdale, AZ owned by Alice Cooper is severely damaged by a firebomb that destroys some $200,ooo worth of merchandise... AC/DC release Highway to Hell, their final album with Bon Scott as lead singer (1979)... Prince's film 'Purple Rain' goes into general release in the US (1984)... Queen become the first western act since Louis Armstrong in 1964 to play a concert in Budapest (1986)... Bob Seger serves jury duty in Detroit, MI, and as the foreman in a criminal trial, find the defendant guilty (1994)...  On tour in France, The Rolling Stones are joined on stage by Bob Dylan in Montpellier for a rendition of 'Like a Rolling Stone' (1995)... The 'Rhyme & Reason Tour' featuring The Beastie Boys and Rage against the Machine is postponed when Beastie Boy Mike D. breaks his right arm in a cycling accident (2000)... Courtney Love receives 18 months probation and court-ordered rehab following her most recent drug charge (2004). 

July 26th

Musical birthdays today include Jackson Family manager Joe Jackson (85), Darlene Love (76), R&B singer Brenton Wood (73), Mick Jagger (71), funk singer Betty Davis (69), Queen drummer Roger Taylor (65), classical guitarist Robert Phillips (61), Extreme lead singer Gary Cherone (53), Swing Out Sister co-founder Gary Connell (51), Joan as Police Woman [née Joan Wasser](44), pianist Derek Paravicini (35), and ex-Sum 41 lead guitarist Dave Baksh (34).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for pianist and composer John Field, born on this day in 1782... for composer & conductor Serge Koussevitzky [long-time maestro of the Boston Symphony, and founder of the Tanglewood Festival], born in 1874... for trumpeter & bandleader Erskine Hawkins, born 100 years ago today... for Mary Wells, who died on this date in 1992... and for JJ Cale, who left us one year ago today. 

Also on July 26th: 'Parsifal', Wagner's final completed opera, premieres at Bayreuth (1882)... The Who make their London debut at the White Hart Hotel, Acton (1964)... The Jackson Five sign their first recording contract, a one-year deal with Motown. They will make history in 1970 as the first recording act to have their first four singles reach № 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (1968)... Jimi Hendrix plays his last concert in his hometown of Seattle when he and the Band of Gypsys headline a show at Sicks Stadium (1970)... Graffiti artists are hired to spray paint sites in London with the words 'It's Only Rock 'n' Roll' to promote the UK release of The Rolling Stones' new single (1974)... The Eagles have their first US № 1 album with One of These Nights. The singles chart is led by one-hit wonders Van McCoy & the Soul City with 'The Hustle' (1975)... Elvis Costello is arrested as he performs outside a CBS Records sales conference at the London Hilton Hotel and is fined £5 for disturbing the peace (1977)... Two years after its appearance in Britain, a substantially revamped version of The Clash's eponymous debut album is released in the US (1979)... Peter Gabriel goes to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Sledgehammer'. The song will receive three Grammy nominations, and as of 2013 is the most played video in the history of MTV (1986)... Newspapers in the UK report that eight people who attended this year's Glastonbury Festival have been admitted to hospital after contracting the E-Coli bug which claimed the lives of 22 people in Scotland earlier in the year (1997)... The guitar on which Sir Paul McCartney learned his first chords sells for £330,000 at an auction at Abbey Road Studios. The Rex acoustic guitar helped McCartney persuade John Lennon to let him join his band The Quarrymen in 1957... The final edition of Top of the Pops is recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. Just under 200 members of the public are in the audience for the show, which is co-hosted by veteran disc jockey Sir Jimmy Savile, its very first presenter. Classic performances from the Spice Girls, Wham!, Madonna, Beyoncé and Robbie Williams feature in the show alongside the Rolling Stones, who were the very first band to appear on Top of the Pops on New Year's Day in 1964 (2006)... AC/DC singer Brian Johnson appears as the 'Star in a Reasonably Priced Car' on the BBC television programme Top Gear. His time of 1:45.9 ties him with Simon Cowell for the second fastest time. He was introduced by host Jeremy Clarkson with the words "...a man who has sold more albums than The Beatles, and I'll bet almost no one in the audience has ever heard of him" (2011). 

 

 

 

 

July 25th

Musical birthdays today include Annie Ross (84), original Nazareth lead guitarist Manny Charlton (73), Seekers singer/guitarist Bruce Woodley (72), Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty (71), former Santana drummer José Areas (68), Rita Marley (68), ex-Colosseum bassist Mark Clarke (64), Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White (63), Red Rider pedal steel guitarist Ken Greer (60), ex-Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore (56), former Babes in Toyland bassist Maureen Herman (48), country singer Roger Creager (43), Cradle of Filth lead singer Dani Filth [né Daniel Davey] (41), and former No Secrets vocalist Jessi Malay (28).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for saxophonist & Duke Ellington sideman Johnny Hodges, born on this day in 1906... for classical trumpeter Adolph 'Bud' Herseth, born in 1921... for Motown house band drummer Benny Benjamin, who would have been 89 today... for Steve Goodman, who would have been 66... for Pylon guitarist Randall Bewley, who would have been 59... for Russian dissident singer-songwriter Vladimir Vysotsky, who died on this date in 1980... for Big Mama Thornton, who died in 1984... for Charlie Rich, who passed away in 1995... for jazz guitarist Tal Farlow, who died in 1998... and for Iron Butterfly lead guitarist Erik Brann, who left us today in 2003. 

Also on July 25th: Mozart completes his 40th Symphony in G K. 550 (1788)... Roy Orbison's first top 10 US hit 'Only the Lonely' peaks at № 2. Roy initially offered the song to The Everly Brothers, then Elvis, and finally recorded it himself after both acts turned it down (1960)... Cilla Black makes a recording test for EMI Records after George Martin spotted her while at a Gerry And The Pacemakers gig in Liverpool (1963)... Dressed in Carnaby Street threads, the ever changing Bob Dylan plugs in for his headlining set backed by members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band at the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, RI. Folk music ‘purists’ try to boo him off the stage, while the rest of the audience gives him an enthusiastic response. It is usually said that the reason for the crowd's hostile reception was Dylan's 'abandonment' of folk orthodoxy, or poor sound quality on the night [or a combination of the two] (1965)... Neil Young appears with Crosby, Stills and Nash for the first time when they play the Fillmore East in NYC. Young was initially asked to help out with live material only, but ended up joining the group, whom he will play with on and off for the next three decades... Yes release their eponymous debut album... The Seattle Pop Festival took place at the Gold Creek Park, Woodinville, WA. Acts who appear over the three day event include Chuck Berry, Tim Buckley, The Byrds, Chicago Transit Authority, Albert Collins, Bo Diddley, The Doors, The Flock, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Guess Who, It's A Beautiful Day, Led Zeppelin, Santana, Spirit, Ten Years After, Ike & Tina Turner, Vanilla Fudge, Alice Cooper and The Youngbloods (1969)... The Carpenters have their first US № 1 with '(They Long to be) Close to You'. Songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote the tune in 1963 and originally offered it to Herb Alpert, who refused it saying it he felt uncomfortable singing the line 'So they sprinkled moondust in your hair'... Creedence Clearwater Revival release Cosmo's Factory (1970)... T Rex are at № 1 in the UK with 'Bang a Gong (Get It on') (1971)... Philip Glass' opera 'Einstein on the Beach' has its world premiere at the Avignon Music Festival (1976)... AC/DC release the album Back in Black, which has sold 50 million copies worldwide to date (1980)... Bruce Springsteen becomes a father for the first time when wife Patti Scialfa gives birth to their son James (1992)... Jane McDonald goes to № 1 on the UK album chart with her self-titled debut album. The singer was featured in a BBC documentary called 'Cruise', and becomes the first singer to debut at the top of the LP chart without a preceding hit single (1998)... This year's Woodstock Festival ends with riots resulting in 120 people being arrested. Three people died in separate incidents during the 3-day event marking the 30th anniversary of the original festival, and many campers were hospitalised with food poisoning or as a result of drinking polluted water (1999)...  Taking up the controversy of Dixie Chick Natalie Maines’ comment about US President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq, Merle Haggard, who has released a song critical of US media coverage of the conflict, issues a press statement saying: “I don't even know the Dixie Chicks, but I find it an insult to all the men and women who fought and died in past wars that so many in America jumped down their throats just for voicing an opinion. It was almost like a verbal lynching" (2003)... 34 years after releasing his debut LP, Jimmy Buffett finally tops the US album chart for the first time with License to Chill (2004).

 

 

July 24th

Musical birthdays today include former Great Society guitarist David Miner (72), ex-Them guitarist Jim Armstrong (70), classical pianist Peter Serkin (67), chansonnier Yves Duteil (65), jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis (61), country singer Pam Tillis (57), Extreme drummer Paul Geary (53), Jennifer Lopez (45), country singer Jerrod Niemann (35), Killswitch Engage guitarist Joel Stroetzel (34), and The Wanted vocalist Joel McGuiness (24). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for film score composer Léo Arnaud, born on this day in 1904... for jazz trumpeter Charles 'Cootie' Williams, born in 1911... for big band singer Bob Eberly, born in 1916... for jazz pianist Billy Taylor, born in 1921... for Tornados bassist Heinz Burt, who would have been 72 today... for Japan bassist Mick Karn, who would have been 56... for Edgar Winter's White Trash drummer Bobby Ramirez, who was killed in a bar brawl today in 1972 at the age of 24... and for former America frontman Dan Peek, who left us today in 2011. 

Also on July 24th: A riot breaks out during a Rolling Stones gig at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, Lancashire, after Keith Richards aims a kick at an unruly audience member who has been spitting at the group throughout the show. Two policemen and 30 fans are injured in the ensuing melee, and the damage is estimated at over £4,000 (1964)... Columbia Records release Bob Dylan's 'Like a Rolling Stone' as a single (1965)... The Times of London publishes a petition bearing the signatures of the four Beatles and Brian Epstein, among others, calling for the legalisation of marijuana. On the same day, the members of the group meet Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose lecture on Transcendental Meditation (TM) they attended at the Hilton Hotel in London. TM involves the silent repetition of a word or sound to produce a state of mind that reduces stress, calms the mind, and energizes both mind and body. The Maharishi invites The Beatles to travel with him to Bangor, in North Wales, to attend more lectures. and they accept his invitation, planning to attend during Britain's August bank holiday (1967)... Paul Revere and the Raiders go to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Indian Reservation'. The song was first recorded in 1959 by Marvin Rainwater and released as 'The Pale Faced Indian' (1971)...
The Robert Stigwood film 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', is released, featuring The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton. The film receives scathing reviews from most critics but will break even at the box office, albeit barely (1978)... The Go-Go's release their debut album Beauty and the Beat (1981)... Survivor are at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with 'Eye of the Tiger' (1983)... Aretha Franklin attends the funeral of her father, a retired Baptist minister. The Reverend C.V. Franklin had been in a coma for the last 5 years after being shot by burglars during a robbery of his home in Detroit (1984)... UB40 have the № 1 single in the US with their version of 'Can't Help Falling in Love with You'. They are also topping the album chart at home in Britain with Promises and Lies (1993)... Phil Collins marries for the third time. The 48-year-old drummer weds marketing consultant Orianne Cevey in Lausanne, Switzerland. Guests at the nuptials include Elton John, Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler (1999)... A garden centre in west London is sued over claims it killed a collection of the late singer Freddie Mercury's prized koi fish. Mercury's former partner Mary Austin, who inherited the Japanese koi collection, claims that 84 fish died when the electricity powering a temporary pond was accidentally turned off by a worker from Clifton Nurseries in Maida Vale. At the time of Mercury's death, he had amassed one of the best collections of the fish in the UK. One koi can be worth £250,000 (2002)... Robert Plant joins three local musicians at a fundraising charity show in Monmouth, Wales ~ tickets cost £3. The event is a tribute to his friend, former Led Zeppelin producer Pat Moran, who died of a rare form of dementia in January. Plant delights the small crowd in the Monmouthshire town with songs from his Led Zeppelin days as well as tunes from his solo career (2011).

 

July 23rd

Musical birthdays today include soul singer Madeleine Bell (72), singer-songwriter Tony Joe White (71), former Rascals drummer Dino Danelli (70), Roxy Music sax & woodwinds player Andy Mackay (68), David Essex (67), ex-BTO guitarist Blair Thornton (64), Manhattan Transfer vocalist Janis Siegel (62), operatic mezzo-soprano Susan Graham (54), Depeche Mode guitarist & principal songwriter Martin Gore (53), Slash [né Saul Hudson](49), former Catherine Wheel frontman Rob Dickinson (49), producer & former Color Me Badd vocalist Sam Watters (44), Alison Krauss (43), ex-Destiny's Child vocalist Michelle Williams (34), and Sum 41 drummer Steve Jocz (33).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Portuguese fado singer Amália Rodrigues, born on this day in 1920... for original Rush drummer John Rutsey, who would have been 62 today... for jazz harmonica player Chris Michalek, who would have been 43... for composer Domenico Scarlatti, who died on this date in 1757... for Grateful Dead keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who was killed in an automobile accident today in 1980 at the age of 32... for bandleader Kay Kyser, who passed away in 1985... for Greek variety singer Aliki Vougiouklaki, who died in 1996... for Motown songwriter & producer Ron Miller, who died in 2007... and for Amy Winehouse, who left us three years ago today. 

Also on July 23rd: Handel begins composing 'Saul', the first of his oratorios to texts by Charles Jennens, with whom he will collaborate on 'The Messiah' (1738)... Chet Baker completes the sessions that will yield the album marking his debut as a vocalist, the aptly titled Chet Baker Sings (1956)... Frank Sinatra has the № 1 album in the US with Strangers in the Night, which will go on to become the singer's only platinum LP (1966)... The Beatles record 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide except Me and My Monkey' as part of the White Album sessions (1968)... The Rolling Stones have their eighth and final UK № 1 single with 'Honky Tonk Women' (1969)... Jethro Tull release A Passion Play (1973)... John Bonham is charged with assault after a Led Zeppelin concert at the Coliseum in Oakland, CA. Bonham and band manager Peter Grant had the help of one of the band's bodyguard in roughing up a security employee at the venue whom they accused of stealing. After pleading guilty to misdemeanors, the accused settle out of court for two million dollars. The tour will eventually be interrupted and then cancelled following the death of Robert Plant's son (1977)... Paul Young has his first UK № 1 single with his version of Marvin Gaye's 'Wherever I Lay My Hat, (That's My Home.)' The title will be parodied by Super Furry Animals in 1999 with their 1999 song 'Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)... The № 1 album in the US is Synchronicity by The Police, who also kick off the American leg of their 107-date world tour in support of the record with a show at Comiskey Park in Chicago (1983)... In Dallas, TX, Ringo Starr kicks off his first tour since the break-up of the Beatles. His backup band includes guitarist Joe Walsh, organist Billy Preston and Bruce Springsteen's sax man Clarence Clemons (1989)... The International Astronomical Union names an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter after the late Frank Zappa (1994)... Fiona Apple's debut album Tidal is released (1996)... 59 year old Paul McCartney, who lost his first wife Linda to cancer three years ago, becomes engaged to 33 year old Heather Mills, an activist for the disabled. It will be the first marriage for the 33-year-old Mills, a former swimwear model whose left leg was amputated below the knee after she was run down by a police motorcyclist in 1993 (2001)... 
James Brown announces his separation from his fourth wife using an advertisement featuring the Disney character Goofy. The 70-year-old placed the notice in Variety magazine ~ it features a picture of himself, his wife Tomi Rae and their two-year-old son James Joseph Brown II posing with Goofy at Walt Disney World (2003)... On the afternoon of tonight's concert at First Energy Park in Lakewood, NJ, Bob Dylan is picked up by a young policewoman who received a report of  a man 'acting suspiciously' in the area. The police officer drove up alongside Dylan and asked him his name, but she did not recognise him. When he was unable to produce any identification, Dylan was driven back to his hotel where staff were able to vouch for him. The misunderstanding arose when Dylan was out for a walk in the afternoon while on tour with Willie Nelson; John Cougar Mellencamp was also on the bill for the show at the local baseball stadium (2009)... Beyoncé soldiers through a concert in Montreal after her hair becomes tangled in the blades of a fan. The singer was performing 'Halo' from an audience pit when the incident occurred. She continues to sing her encore while security guards try to extract her from the fan, which is mounted on the edge of the stage (2013). 

 

 

July 22nd

Musical birthdays today include operatic soprano Licia Albanese (101), George Clinton (73), Bobby Sherman (71), Supertramp lead singer Rick Davies (70), Mireille Mathieu (68), Don Henley (67), session guitarist and producer Richard Bennett (63), jazz guitarist Jimmy Bruno (61), ex-Bad Company lead singer Brian Howe (60), Al DiMeola (60), Savatage lead singer Jon Oliva (54), Indigo Girl Emily Saliers (51), Greek pop singer Despina Vandi (45), Savage Garden co-founder Daniel Jones (41), Rufus Wainwright (41), and Selena Gomez (22). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country singer Margaret Whiting, who would have been 90 today... for bassist and Stan Getz sideman William 'Keter' Betts, who would have been 84... for Ronettes vocalist Estelle Bennett, who would have been 73... for original Charlatans keyboardist Rob Collins, killed in a DWI accident today in 1996 at the age of 33... for Megadeath drummer Gary 'Gar' Samuelson, who died in 1999... for chansonnier Sacha Distel, who pssed away in 2004... and for Chi-Lites lead singer Eugene Record, who left us in 2005. 

Also on July 22nd: J.S. Bach takes his last communion (1750)... Verdi's 'I Masnadieri [The Bandits]'. his first opera written on commission for a patron outside of Italy, premieres at Her Majesty's Theatre in London with the composer himself conducting the orchestra (1847)... The Beatles' first US album, Introducing the Beatles, is pressed by Vee-Jay Records, who believe that they have obtained the legal rights from EMI affiliate Trans-Global Records. When it is finally released in January, 1964, Capitol Records hits Vee Jay with an injunction against manufacturing, distributing, advertising, or otherwise disposing of records the group (1963)... Quicksilver Messenger Service and Big Brother & the Holding Co. appear at the Convention Hall, San Diego, CA (1967)... Aretha Franklin is arrested for disorderly conduct in a Detroit parking lot. After posting $50 bail, she knocks down a road sign while leaving the police station (1969)... John and Yoko spent a second day filming the ‘Imagine’ promotional film at their home in Tittenhurst Park, Ascot. Today's footage includes the morning walk on the grounds through the mist and John singing ‘Imagine’ in the white living room on his white piano (1971)... Stevie Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale is released (1974)... Stiff Records release My Aim Is True, the debut album by Elvis Costello in the UK. The musicians who are featured on the album are uncredited on the original release due to contractual difficulties. Later printings of the LP will identify them as members of the band Clover (1977)... Little Richard, now known as the Reverend Richard Penniman, tells his Los Angeles congregation about the evils of rock & roll music, declaring "If God can save an old homosexual like me, he can save anybody" (1979)... Courtney Love marries her first husband, James Moreland, lead singer of the band Leaving Trains (1989)... Donovan is forced to postpone a comeback tour of the US because of a 30-year-old marijuana bust in the UK. American authorities delay granting him a waiver to enter the country, insisting that they must 'investigate further' (1996)... Simple Minds close their official fan club owing to dwindling membership (1999)... Research by a car insurance company shows that listening to the wrong sort of music when driving can lead to aggression and distraction. Dr Nicola Dibben, a music psychologist, says "Singing while driving stimulates the mind." Songs recommended included Pulp’s ‘Disco 2000’ and ‘Hey Ya’ by Outcast, but the doctor says that songs like The Prodigy’s 'Firestarter' should be avoided (2005)... 
Johnny Cash is at № 1 on the US album chart with American V: A Hundred Highways. Released posthumously on July 4, the vocal parts were recorded before Cash's death in 2003, but the instrumental tracks were not recorded until '05 (2006).

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July 21st

Musical birthdays today include jazz singer Kay Starr (93), saxophonist Plas Johnson (84), Kim Fowley (73), Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens [né Steven Georgiou](67), ex-Christians keyboardist Henry Priestman (60), former Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin (54), Cox Family banjoist & singer Sidney Cox (50), Tonic frontman Emerson Hart (46), Irish folk singer Cara Dillon (40), and rapper Really Doe [né Warren Trotter](35).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Sara Carter, born on this day in 1898... for violinist Isaac Stern [of whom Yo-Yo Ma once said "He leaves no tune un-Sterned"], born in 1920... for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers bassist Howie Epstein, who would have been 60 today... for film score composer Jerry Goldsmith, who died today in 2004... and for bluesman and Dylanologist Long John Baldry, who left us in 2005. 

Also on July 21st: Jimi Hendrix plays his first NYC gig since his star-making appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, as he and the Experience open a three-night stand at the Cafe au Go Go in Greenwich Village (1967)... The Beatles begin work on John's song 'Come Together' at Abbey Road Studios (1969)... Jim Croce goes to № 1 on the Billboard chart with 'Bad Bad Leroy Brown'... Canned Heat, Chuck Berry, Nazareth, The Edgar Broughton Band, Groundhogs, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Medicine Head all appeared at this year's Buxton Festival in Derbyshire. The Hell's Angels arrive in force and proceeded to drink the site dry. They payed for the booze on hand, but when reinforcements are required, a deputation is sent into the audience to collect donations of 10p per person. About 20 minutes into his set, Chuck Berry shows one of the Angels how to do his duck-walk properly. He does a magnificent example from one end of the stage to the other and disappears into the wings. The band plays on, the Angels bop to the beat, and Chuck legs it to his car, drives off at high speed, and will not play in Britain for another two years (1973)... Despite vehement protests to the BBC by phone, letter and telegram, The Sex Pistols make their debut appearance on Top Of The Pops, where they lip-synch to their third single, 'Pretty Vacant'. The performance helps push the song up the charts into the top ten (1977)... Guns N’ Roses released their first album on Geffen Records. Appetite for Destruction features the singles 'Welcome to the Jungle', 'Sweet Child o' Mine', and 'Paradise City'. To date, the album has worldwide sales in excess of 28 million, including 18 million in the US, making it the best-selling stateside debut album of all time (1987).. Roger Waters' 'The Wall' takes place at the Berlin Wall in the Potzdamerplatz. Over 350,000 people attend [including me ~ ed. note] and the event is broadcast live throughout the world. Van Morrison, Bryan Adams, Joni Mitchell, The Scorpions, Cyndi Lauper, Sinead O'Connor and others participate (1990)... At the Wetlands in NYC's TriBeCa, Oasis make their live American debut as part of the New Music Seminar (1994)... In Philadelphia, Madonna kicks off the North American leg of her 47-date Drowned World tour, her first major tour in 8 years (2001)... Never-before seen photographs of the Beatles' first US concert in Washington, DC sell in NYC for more than $360,000. The Fab Four played their first US concert on February 11, 1964, at the Washington Coliseum, two days after their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. DC resident Mike Mitchell was 18 at the time and took photographs from just a few feet away. Among the highlights is a backlit photograph Mitchell snapped while standing directly behind the Fab Four which sells for more than $68,000 (2011). 

July 20th

Musical birthdays today include jazz bassist & producer Peter Ind (86), West End & Broadway musicals singer Sally Ann Howes (84), Kim Carnes (69), Moody Blues bassist John Lodge (69), Carlos Santana (67), original AC/DC led singer Dave Evans (61), Twister Sister guitarist Jay Jay French [né John Segall](62), former Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook (58), ex-Simple Minds keyboardist Mick MacNeil (56), country singer Radney Foster (55), former Talk Talk drummer Lee Harris (52), Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell (50), Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard (48), Dandy Warhols frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor (47), rapper Kool G Rap [né Nathaniel Wilson](46), ex-Bikini Kill drummer & vocalist Tobi Vail (45), and former Ash guitarist & vocalist Charlotte Hatherley (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country singer Cindy Walker, born on this day in 1918... for early rock singer Buddy Knox, who would have been 81 today... for rapper DJ Screw [né Robert Davis, Jr.], who would have been 43... for R&B singer Roy Hamilton, who died on this date in 1969... and for folk singer & producer Artie Traum, who left us in 2008.

Also on July 20th: Billboard publish their first comprehensive record chart. The magazine previously put out best-seller lists submitted by the individual record companies, but the new chart combines the top sellers from all major labels. Their first № 1 song is ‘I'll Never Smile Again’ by Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (1940)... Dimitri Shostakovich makes the cover of Time Magazine (1942)... Jan & Dean go to № 1 in the US with 'Surf City' (1963)... Capitol records release for the US market The Beatles' album Something New (1964)... Johnny Cash's 'Folsom Prison Blues', recorded live at the institution in January, goes to the top of the Billboard Country chart... Iron Butterfly's second LP, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, enters the US chart for the first time. The album, which is often considered the first heavy metal record to chart, contains the 17-minute title track that fills the second side of the LP which goes on sell over four million copies in the US alone... Jane Asher announces on the national British TV show 'Dee Time' that her engagement to Paul McCartney is off. Paul reportedly is watching at a friend's home and is surprised by the news (1968)... The Carpenters' summer replacement variety show 'Make Your Own Kind of Music' debuts on NBC-TV (1971)... Tim Buckley, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Van Morrison, The Doobie Brothers and The Allman Brothers are all on the bill for a one-day festival at Knebworth Park, England (1974)... Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play the opening night on their Born To Run Tour at the Palace Theater in Providence, RI. The show also marks the live debut of Steven Van Zandt, AKA Miami Steve, as a member of The E Streeters (1975)... The Buzzcocks make their live debut as the opening act for The Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. In the audience are Morrissey, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook [soon to form Joy Division], Mark E Smith [0f The Fall] and Mick Hucknall. Tickets cost £1 (1976)... Alex Cox's film 'Sid & Nancy', based on the life of Sid Vicious and with Gary Oldman in the title role, has its world premiere in London (1986)... Church groups throughout middle America claim that pictures of Britney Spears printed in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, on newsstands today, encourage child pornography. The shots show a scantily-clad Britney in her bedroom (1999)... The Evergreen Ballroom in Lacey, WA is destroyed by a fire. During the ballroom's heyday from the '50s through the '70s, the site hosted gigs by Elvis, Johnny Cash, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and Fats Domino among others. Glen Campbell had lived in the kitchen at the venue for several months before achieving stardom (2000)... Jackson Browne settles his lawsuit against US Senator John McCain and the Republican Party after his 1977 hit 'Running On Empty' was used without permission in a 2008 McCain presidential campaign ad that aired on TV and over the Internet. McCain and the Party apologize for using the song in the ad and say that the Senator himself 'had no knowledge of, or involvement in, the creation or distribution of the video' (2009). 

 

 

July 19th

Musical birthdays today include Juilliard String Quartet founding member Robert Mann (94), country singer Sue Thompson (89), pop & variety singer Vicki Carr [née Florencia Cardona](73), Commander Cody [né George Frayne IV](70), Average White Band bassist Alan Gorrie (68), original Eagles guitarist Bernie Leadon (67), Brian May (67), ex-Bauhaus drummer Kevin Haskins (54), Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn (46), Symphony X lead singer Russell Allen (43), trip hop/hip hop producer Wax Tailor [né Jean-Christophe Le Saoût](39), ex-Dirty Pretty Things bassist David 'Didz' Hammond (33), and Grizzly Bear drummer Christopher Bear (32).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic baritone Aldo Protti, born on this day in 1920... for bluesman Buster Benton, who would have been 82 today... for Grateful Dead keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who would have been 66... for Lynyrd Skynyrd founding member Allen Collins, who would have been 64... for rock journalist & Swell Maps co-founder Nikki Sudden [né Adrian Godfrey], who would have been 58... for country singer Lefty Frizzell, who died on this date in 1975... and for folklorist & musicologist Alan Lomax, who left us in 2002.

Also on July 19th: Franz Liszt gives his final public performance in Yelizavetgrad in the Russian Empire [today Kirovohrad, Ukraine] (1886)... In Vienna, Anton Webern conducts the first performance of his own 'Five Pieces for Orchestra', one of the shortest known compositions for a full symphony ~ the first movement consists of 6 1/3 bars and lasts 19 seconds (1911)... Sun Records releases Elvis' first single, 'That's All Right' (1954)... George Treadwell, the manager of The Drifters, fires the entire group and hires the then unknown Ben E. King and five other vocalists to replace them (1958)... In the first of the sessions which will produce his album This Is Our Music, Ornette Coleman records the only standard ~ 'Embraceable You' ~ that appears on any of his albums for Atlantic (1960)... Elvis wraps filming on his movie 'Speedway', co-starring Nancy Sinatra (1967)... Among the guests on Johnny Cash's weekly variety show on ABC are Joni Mitchell and The Monkees. Cash himself performs 'Last Train to Clarksville', and The Monkees return the favour by playing the host's own 'Everybody Loves a Nut' (1969)... The tumult of the Stones '72 American tour continues as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are arrested for assault & battery in Warwick, RI after getting into a scuffle with a newspaper photographer (1972)... Paul McCartney & Wings have both the № 1 song and album in America with 'Listen to What the Man Said' and Venus and Mars, respectively... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band rehearse for a reported 19 hours at the Record Plant in NYC before kicking off the Born to Run tour (1975)... Deep Purple split up at the end of a UK tour. David Coverdale goes on to form Whitesnake, while Jon Lord and Ian Paice form a band with Tony Ashton. The classic line up of Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord & Paice will reform in 1984. Glenn Hughes returns to Trapeze and Tommy Bolin puts together his own band [but will die before the end of the year] (1976)... An exhibition featuring paintings by Joni Mitchell, John Mayall, Klaus Voormanm, Ron Wood and Commander Cody opens at the Vorpal Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA (1980)...  Roy Orbison Day is proclaimed in Odessa, TX, as the singer plays there for the first time in 15 years. Orbison receives the keys to the city in a pre-concert ceremony (1981)... Bruce Springsteen plays behind the Iron Curtain for the first time, as he and the E Street Band bring the Tunnel of Love tour to 150,000 concertgoers in East Berlin (1987)... James Brown changes accommodations behind bars after $40,000 in cash and cheques are discovered in his minimum security cell. The Godfather of Soul was given a six year sentence the previous December after several run-ins with the law, including charges of illegal gun possession, resisting arrest, assault and leading the authorities on several high-speed of car chases. His new home will be at a medium security cell at the Stevenson Correctional Institute in Columbia, SC (1989)... The Spice Girls make their debut on Top of the Pops, performing 'Wannabe', the first of their nine UK № 1s (1996)... Ozzy Osbourne and his former Black Sabbath band mate Tony Iommi settle a long-running legal dispute over the use of the group's name. Ozzy filed suit against the guitarist in May of last year, accusing Iommi of falsely claiming to be the sole owner of the Black Sabbath name by lodging an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The pair release a joint statement confirming they have settled the dispute 'amicably' (2010). 

 

July 18th

Musical birthdays today include conductor Kurt Masur (87), Dion DiMucci (75), guitarist Lonnie Mack (73), Martha Reeves (73), country singer Ricky Scaggs (60), original XTC drummer Terry Chambers (59), original Red Hot Chili peppers drummer Jack Irons (52), rapper M.I.A. [née Mathangi Arulpragasam](39), System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian (39), Ryan Cabrera (34), Underoath drummer Aaron Gillespie (30), and rapper Hopsin [né Marcus Hopson](29). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic soprano Pauline Viardot, born on this day in 1821... for chansonnier Henri Salvador, born in 1917... for jazz bassist & Dexter Gordon sideman Don Bagley, who would have been 87 today... for Screamin' Jay Hawkins, who would have been 85... for Rolling Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart, who would have been 78... for Village People vocalist Glenn 'The Biker' Hughes, who would have been 64... for Bobby Fuller, whose body was found in his parked car on this day in 1966. He was 23 ~ the cause of death has never been officially determined...for Nico [née Christa Päffgen], who died today in 1988... and for folksinger Mimi Fariña, who left us in 2001.

Also on July 18th: 18-year-old truck driver Elvis Presley makes his first ever recording when he pays $3.98 at the Memphis Recording Service singing two songs, 'My Happiness' and 'That's When Your Heartaches Begin'. The so-called vanity disc is intended as a gift for his mother. It will surface 37 years later as part of an RCA compilation called Elvis ~ the Great Performances (1955)... Brenda Lee has the № 1 single in America with 'I'm Sorry' (1960)... The Byrds release the album Fifth Dimension (1966)... The Beatles record 'Cry Baby Cry' and 'Helter Skelter'. One of the takes of the latter song turns into an extended jam lasting 27'18", making it the longest single recording in the entire Beatle archive (1968)... Ringo records his vocal to 'Octopus' Garden (1969)... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band open a four night stand at Max's Kansas City in NYC. The opening act is Bob Marley & the Wailers, making their American live debut (1973)... The US Justice Department orders John Lennon out of the country by September 10th. The Immigration and Naturalization Service denied him an extension of his non-immigrant visa because of his guilty plea in England to a 1968 marijuana possession charge (1974)... Def Leppard make their live debut at the Westfield School, Sheffield, in front of 150 students (1978)... Billy Joel has both the № 1 single and album in the US with 'It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me' and Glass Houses, respectively (1980)... Bobby Brown marries Whitney Houston at her New Jersey estate (1992)... At a church in the village of Blidoe on the Baltic archipelago island of Roslagen off central Sweden, a piano piece by Claude Debussy found in 2001 is performed for the first time. Composed in 1917 during World War I, he gave the piece to his coal supplier, a native of Blidoe, for keeping his house warm during the winter in Paris. Entitled 'The evening that was lit up by the embers', the composition is played by French pianist Jean-Pierre Armengaud (2003)... Paul Simon files a law suit against Rhythm USA Inc., a Georgia-based subsidiary of a Japanese firm, claiming the company never had his permission to sell wall clocks that play ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’. The suit claimed that as one of the best known songs throughout the world, a proper licensing agreement would earn at least a $1 million licensing fee (2007). 

 

 

 

 

July 17th

Musical birthdays today include Spencer Davis (75), Kraftwerk drummer Wolfgang Flür (67), Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler (65), R&B singer Regina Belle (51), country singer Craig Morgan (50), original Dinosaur Jr. bassist Lou Barlow (48), country singer Elizabeth Cook (42), Symphony X drummer Jason Rullo (42), ex-Mars Volta guitarist Paul Hinojos (39), country singer Luke Bryan (38), Animal Collective  keyboardist Noah 'Panda Bear' Lennox (36), Thousand Foot Krutch frontman Trevor McNevan (36), Atomic Kitten vocalist Natasha Hamilton (32), and McFly frontman Tom Fletcher (29). 

 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for hymnwriter Isaac Watts, born on this day in 1674... for country singer Red Sovine, born in 1918... for jazzman & electric guitar pioneer George Barnes, born in 1921... for jazz singer Jimmy Scott, who would have been 89 today... for songwriter & pianist Vince Guaraldi, and jazz drummer & longtime Dave Brubeck sideman Joe Morello, both of whom would have been 86... for Stooges drummer Ron Asheton, who would have been 66... for Phoebe Snow, and Temptations vocalist Damon Harris, both of whom would have been 64... for Nicolette Larson, who would have been 62... for Gang Starr rapper Guru [né Keith Elam], who would have been 53... for Billie Holiday, who died on this date in 1959... for John Coltrane, who died in 1967... for impresario & original Animals bassist Chas Chandler, who passed away in 1996... and for jazzman Peter Appleyard, who left us one year ago today. 

Also on July 17th: Handel's Water Music is premiered as George I and his retinue sail down the Thames from Whitehall to Chelsea on a barge with 50 musicians (1717)... Johnny Cash has his final session at Sun Studios, recording 'Down the Street to 301' and 'I Hope I Remember to Forget' (1958)... The Beatles release the single 'All You Need Is Love/'Baby You're a Rich Man' (1967)... John & Yoko appear on the late-night BBC talk show Parkinson. John chastises fans who have called Yoko 'ugly', and vehemently denies rumours that she 'broke up the Beatles' (1971)... A bomb believed to have been planted by Québecois separatists explodes under The Rolling Stones equipment van in Montreal. Also, angry fans riot, throwing bottles and rocks after 3,000 tickets sold for the show turn out to be fake (1972)... In London, The Moody Blues open what they claim is the world's first 'Quadraphonic' recording studio (1974)... A Russian language version of Conway Twitty's 1970 hit 'Hello Darlin' is broadcast to a worldwide audience as part of the joint US-Soviet Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The song, which in Russian is called 'Privyet Radost,' is offered as a 'gesture of goodwill' from the Apollo crew to the cosmonauts. Twitty worked with a language professor from the University of Oklahoma to record the phonetic Russian version of the song (1975)... Simple Minds make their live debut at the Satellite Club in Glasgow (1978)... Gary Moore leaves Thin Lizzy in the middle of a US tour and is replaced by guitarist Midge Ure (1979)... Irene Cara hits № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Fame' (1982)... Robbie Williams announces that he is leaving Take That, one of the most successful boy bands of the '90s (1995)... Half of the 4,500 people in the audience walk out of Linda Ronstadt's show at the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas after the singer dedicates an encore of ‘Desperado’ to filmmaker Michael Moore and urges the crowd to see his scathingly anti-Bush administration film Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)... Bono receives France's highest cultural honour for his contribution to music and commitment to humanitarian causes when he is made Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Aurélie Filippetti in Paris (2013). 

 

 

July 16th

Musical birthdays today include classical pianist Bella Davidovich (86), jazz trumpeter John Chilton (82), blues singer Denise LaSalle (75), Rubén Blades (66), classical violinist Pinchas Zukerman (66), former Police drummer Stewart Copeland (62), producer & DJ Norman Cook (51), Ting Tings co-founder Jules De Martino (45), Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk (40), and No Devotion keyboardist Jamie Oliver (39).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Ginger Rogers, born on this day in 1911... for Latin jazz percussionist Cal Tjader, who would have been 89 today... for Searchers bassist Tony Jackson, who would have been 76... for reggae pioneer Desmond Dekker, who would have been 73... for Harry Chapin, who was killed in a road accident today in 1981 at the age of 38... for conductor Herbert Von Karajan, who died on this date in 1989... for Styx drummer John Panozzo, who died in 1995... for big band singer Jo Stafford, who passed away in 2008... for Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord and country music legend Kitty Wells, both of whom left us two years ago today. 

Also on July 16: Mozart's opera 'Die Entführung aus dem Serail' [The Abduction from the Seraglio] premieres at the Burgtheater in Vienna (1782)... 'His Master's Voice', the logo of the Victor Recording Company and later RCA Victor, is registered with the US Patent Office. The logo shows the dog, Nipper, looking into the horn of a gramophone (1900)... Jimmie Rogers records 'Blue Yodel #9', with an uncredited Louis Armstrong on trumpet and Satchmo's wife Lil Hardin on piano (1930)... The Beach Boys sign with Capitol Records... Bill Evans goes into the studio leading a group larger than his usual trio for the first time. The sessions will produce the album Interplay (1962)... Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton announce the formation of Cream (1966)... The Beatles record George's new song 'Something' at Abbey Road (1969)... Neil Young releases the album On the Beach (1974)... Shaun Cassidy has the № 1 song in the US with his remake of The Crystals' 1962 hit 'Da Doo Ron Ron' (1977)... Dolly  Parton's theme park Dollywood opens in Pigeon Forge, TN (1986)... Queen Latifah is the victim of a botched carjacking attempt that leaves her bodyguard and driver in critical condition with a gunshot wound (1995)... Coldplay's debut album Parachutes hits № 1 on the UK chart (2000)... The White Stripes play their 'shortest live show ever' at the George Street Theatre, St. John's, Newfoundland. At 7 PM, Jack White plays a single C# note accompanied by a bass drum/crash cymbal hit from Meg. At the end of the 'concert', Jack announces "We have now officially played in every province and territory in Canada". They then leave the stage, after promising to return in exactly three hours' time to perform a full show. [They do] (2007).

 

 

July 15th

Musical birthdays today include classical guitarist Julian Bream (81), R&B singer Millie Jackson (70), Linda Ronstadt (68), former 13th Floor Elevators guitarist Roky Erickson (67), Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle (67), ex-Buggles keyboardist Trevor Horn (65), former Ramones drummer Marky Ramone [né Marc Bell](58), Jason Bonham (48), System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan (41), The Diplomats rapper Jim Jones (38), former My Chemical Romance lead guitarist Ray Toro (37), and session drummer & video director Vice Cooler (30). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for songwriter Dorothy Fields [best remembered for 'The Sunny Side of the Street' and 'The Way You Look Tonight'], born on this day in 1905... for country singer Lloyd 'Cowboy' Copas, born in 1913... for Cameroonian makossa guitarist Francis Bebey, who would have been 85 today... for original yes guitarist Pete Banks, who would have been 67... for New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders [né John Genzale, Jr.], who would have been 62... for Ian Curtis, who would have been 58... for composer & pianist Carl Czerny, who died on this date in 1857... and for early rock saxophonist & songwriter Bill Justis, who left us in 1982.

Also on July 15th: Empress Maria Theresa of Austria decrees that a new opera house be erected on the site of the Ducal Theater of Milan, recently destroyed by fire. When dedicated in 1778, the new structure will be known as La Scala (1776)... 17-year-old John Lennon's mother Julia is killed by a car driven by an off-duty police officer named Eric Clague (Clague is charged with DWI, but is later acquitted of the offence) (1958)... This week's US Top three singles, in descending order, are The Byrds' 'Mr Tambourine Man', The Four Tops' 'I Can't Help Myself' The Rolling Stones' ('I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' (1965)... The Doors open for The Jefferson Airplane at the Convention Center in Anaheim, CA (1968)... Elton John has his first US № 1 album with Honky Chateau (1972)... The Edgar Winter Group, Sly & The Family Stone, Canned Heat, Lindisfarne and The Kinks all appear at The Great Western Express Festival at White City, west London. With his wife having recently walked out of their marriage taking their young children with her, Ray Davies of The Kinks announces from the stage that he is "sick of the whole thing" and is retiring. He then takes an overdose of tranquilizers backstage, but changes his mind and takes a taxi to the nearest hospital before collapsing (1973)... Bob Dylan plays before his largest UK audience ever, as an estimated 200,000 fans gather at the Blackbushe Aerodrome in Surrey to hear the singer headlining a bill that includes Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading and Graham Parker (1978)... Simply Red go to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'if You Don't Know Me by Now' (1989)... Pink Floyd play a concert in Venice on a floating stage on the canal beside the Piazza San Marco. Over 200,000 people attend the show [almost double the number authorities had planned for], causing damage to buildings and bridges. The cost cleaning of the area after the concert, which was broadcast live on TV to over 20 countries with an estimated audience of almost 100 million, is estimated at £25,000. Two Venice councillors will later be ordered to stand trial for the costs incurred by the show (1989)...  Aerosmith are forced to cancel a forthcoming US tour after Joey Kramer is involved in a freak accident. Sparks from a gas pump set the drummer's car on fire and completely destroyed it as he was filling up. He was admitted to hospital with second-degree burns (1994)... In Hiltons, VA, Johnny Cash plays his final concert, which is also his first public appearance since the funeral of his wife June in May of this year (2003)... Victor Willis, the original 'policeman' in the Village People, is arrested after real police find a gun and drugs in his convertible in Daly City, south of San Francisco. Willis also has an outstanding $15,000 felony warrant for possession of narcotics (2005)... Over 10,000 people apply for a job with P Diddy after the rapper posted an advert on YouTube saying that he was looking for a new personal assistant. He warned applicants that the job would be far from easy, and would involve everything from getting him ready for the red carpet to aiding in billion dollar deals to helping him jump out of planes in films (2007).